Risk, Resilience, and Characteristics of Fatal or Near-Fatal Intimate Partner Violence with Native Americans

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2023Native American people are at a higher risk of experiencing lifetime violence and are twice as likely to be murdered than non-Native American individuals. This project analyzed data from medical examiner reports in Pima, Maricopa, and Coconino in Arizona from 2016-2019, containing information on intimate partner-related homicides and intimate partner homicides of Native Americans. The Medical Examiner’s Offices investigated 151 Native American cases in the three counties. 12 cases were classified as intimate partner violence (IPV), and 11 were related to IPV. For both groups, the majority of victim age was between 18-35, the cause of death for IPV homicide victims was by knife, and IPV-related was firearms. Analyzed data from a more extensive study (n=229), The Ourcicle study, examines factors related to adverse childhood trauma, IPV risk, types of abuse experienced, resiliency, and how reservation residences may impact help and safety-seeking. The ACES score indicated an increased risk of experiencing IPV, and the DA scoring for participants also indicated an increased risk of IPV homicide. Cultural practices and safety planning were a source of strength for survivors. Another deductive analysis from secondary qualitative data from this study explores the connection between Indigenous feminism and colonial settler theory with interviews with 13 Native American survivors of IPV living in the Southwest. The themes identified within interviews were how colonization had impacted families, and communities, abuse experienced, resiliency factors and sources of strengths, and normalization of violence. Insights into risk and resiliency factors and survivors' experiences can help inform intervention, prevention, and reporting tools for social workers and advocates who work with Native American IPV survivors and Native communities impacted by fatal IPV